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A large part of the credit for the success the Kansas City Chiefs have had over the last five years belongs to general manager Brett Veach, who’s done a phenomenal job of getting the right talent in the building via free agency and the draft.
But that doesn’t mean Veach hasn’t had some misses along the way.
Lucas Strozinksy of Arrowhead Pride recently went over the three biggest free agent misses by Brett Veach. Along with defensive tackle Jarran Reed and defensive end Alex Okafor, Strozinsky named veteran linebacker Anthony Hitchens as one of his biggest misses.
Hitchens signed a five-year, $45 million contract with Kansas City in 2018. That deal gave Hitchens over $20 million in guarantees.
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“Even though he played an important role outside off-the-field, this signing is one that will not reflect well on Veach,” Strozinsky wrote on June 25. “Hitchens earned a horrendous 37.5 PFF overall defensive grade ($) his first year as a Chief in 2018. Yes, a lot of that can be explained by not being a great fit with Bob Sutton. Under Steve Spagnuolo in 2019, 2020, and 2021, he earned slightly better grades of 44.4, 49.7, and 52.2, respectively. Despite the poor season grades, against the Bengals in the 2022 AFC Championship, his last game as a Chief turned out to be his highest-graded game as a Chief at an elite 92.3 overall.”
Strozinsky further explained his stance on Hitchens making the list.
“This may be a spicy take for a lot of fans to include him on this list, but in my opinion, Hitchens did not live up to his contract,” he wrote. “His average cap hit across his four years in Kansas City was about $8 million, good enough for approximately 15th among linebackers in AAV today. Did Hitchens play like a top-15 linebacker in Kansas City? To me, he did not. The Chiefs do owe a lot to him for the leadership role he played but he was not worth the contract he signed for the Chiefs in terms of on-field production alone.”
Tyreek Hill Named KC’s Best Value Pick Since ’06
Whether it be Travis Kelce or Jamaal Charles in the third round, or L’Jarius Sneed in the fourth round, to name a few, there has been no shortage of diamonds in the rough for the Chiefs come draft day. But which draft pick has provided the greatest amount of value to Kansas City since 2006?
PFF did the research and determined that former Western Alabama wide receiver Tyreek Hill being drafted in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft was the best value draft pick for the defending AFC West champions.
“The single most impactful receiver in the NFL over the past half-decade, Hill exceeded even the most optimistic expectations as a former running back who was forced to transfer from Oklahoma State,” Michael Renner of PFF wrote on June 22. “Since entering the league in 2016, Hill accumulated 458 more deep receiving yards (2,773) and six more deep receiving scores (30) than any other player in the NFL.”
Hill’s NFL resume speaks for itself. During his six seasons in Kansas City, he accumulated four 1,000-yard seasons, 62 total touchdowns, six Pro Bowl nods, and three All-Pro nods. At 28 years old and now with the Miami Dolphins, Hill has a chance to continue his Hall of Fame trajectory in a new town with Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Travis Kelce Unintentionally Insults Miss Piggy [WATCH]
Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce recently made an appearance on the ABC show “Holey Moley,” an extreme miniature golf competition, as an analyst. He joined the panel of Joe Tessitore, the play-by-play commentator, and comedian Rob Riggle, the color commentator.
While on the set, Kelce asked the panel if they wanted to “throw around the old pigskin.” Apparently, the famous The Muppets character Miss Piggy caught wind of that remark from Kelce and was not pleased.
“That did not fly very well with Miss Piggy,” said Kermit the Frog while on “On the Red Carpet.”
Kelce needs to be more careful with his pork-related comments moving forward (kidding).
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